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Ayasu Gebriel (Ethiopia) (AFP)
Tesfaye Berhe watched in concern as her laborers plucked leaves from sorghum stalks dried brown by the scorching sun, wondering how she could save a crop interrupted by heavy fighting in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia.
The burly 60-year-old man with a gray beard ran for cover when projectiles began flying around him a month ago, launched from the east by the military and from the west by forces loyal to the regional ruling breakaway Tigray People’s Liberation party. . Front (TPLF).
Chaos forced Tesfaye to abandon this year’s harvest of teff, a staple grain used to make injera flatbread, mid-harvest. Now he fears that it could happen again with sorghum, despite claims by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed that the fighting is over.
“We keep hearing that there are combatants in both directions. We are concerned whether or not we can eat what we are harvesting now, if they come back,” he said at his farm near the town of Ayasu Gebriel.
Tigray, an impoverished region of about six million people, faced formidable food security challenges before the conflict began, compounded this year by the coronavirus pandemic and the worst desert locust plague in decades.
Now aid agencies fear that the fighting, which has reportedly killed thousands and displaced many thousands more, could lead the region to catastrophe.
The UN says it does not have humanitarian access to Tigray, making it difficult to assess the extent to which hostilities have disrupted the lives of civilians.
But AFP recently gained exclusive access to south Tigray, where some residents said they were getting desperate, begging neighbors and serving their children boiled water just to warm their stomachs.
The hardships could last long after the guns are silenced, especially if farmers like Tesfaye see the value of an entire grain season disappear.
“The potential loss of the harvest within Tigray, which was about to start when the conflict began, could have important implications for food insecurity in the region,” said Saviano Abreu, spokesman for the UN humanitarian coordination office.
– Region ‘not stable’ –
Tensions over access to aid have risen in recent weeks between Abiy, last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, and humanitarian officials.
The Abiy government has emphasized its commitment to bringing aid to “vulnerable communities”, saying it will take the lead while coordinating access for outsiders, in part due to persistent insecurity.
But that process has not gone well.
A week after the UN signed an agreement that apparently allowed some access, security forces fired on a UN assessment team attempting to visit an Eritrean refugee camp, claiming they had ignored instructions and walked through checkpoints. control.
On Monday, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric again complained about the lack of access, saying “we have not been able to reach the people we know need them.”
Negotiations continued in Addis Ababa on Tuesday between UN officials and Demeke Mekonnen, Ethiopia’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister.
Meanwhile, the government has been promoting its own efforts to provide assistance.
In the Tigray town of Alamata, on Friday, officials distributed 50-kilogram (110-pound) sacks of wheat, marked with the Ethiopian flag, to hundreds of residents queuing outside a warehouse, some using umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun. .
But Alamata has not seen much fighting, nor is it home to many displaced Ethiopians.
A federal disaster commission official, Solomon Admasu, acknowledged that he and his colleagues were struggling to reach the areas hardest hit by the fighting.
“The resources are there, but there are places that are not stable and places that have security problems,” Solomon said.
Another problem is that many local officials in Tigray are feared to have left their posts, which could complicate food distribution once federal officials move further into the region, said Assefa Mulugeta, a peace ministry official who coordinates the government relief effort in Alamata.
“The government needs help, it is obvious,” he said, “because the demands are very high.”
– ‘Living with God’s help’ –
Some international aid is coming to Tigray.
Over the weekend, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced that seven trucks of medicines and medical equipment had arrived in the regional capital, Mekele, the first convoy of foreign aid to arrive there.
Catholic Relief Services has worked with local church partners to bring food aid to western Tigray and thousands of displaced people along the Tigray border with the Amhara region, Ethiopia Representative John Shumlansky said.
However, in towns and villages across southern Tigray, residents said the little help they have seen is not enough.
“People have nothing to eat or drink, they need help. Even wealthy people, importers and exporters,” said Asene Hailu, a resident of Mehoni, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Mekele.
He added that “there are no medical supplies” for civilians injured in the bombings.
The needs extend far beyond food, as many in Tigray went weeks without water and electricity, meaning “sanitation and health services have been seriously disrupted,” the UN’s Abreu said.
But food is the most immediate concern, said a construction worker in the city of Korem who requested anonymity.
The prolonged closure of the banks meant that even those who could afford the rapid rise in food prices have had a difficult time supporting their families, he said.
“Low-income people are embarrassed to beg, but they need quick and easy help right now. They are eating whatever they have on hand and that is almost done,” he said.
“They live with the help of God.”
© 2020 AFP
